


Beneath the shattered dreams and lies

by SilverShadow1



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus and Aberforth talking about Grindelwald, Family Drama, I made Albus the Transfiguration teacher he should be, I never know what to tag here, Set after FB CoG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 13:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverShadow1/pseuds/SilverShadow1
Summary: Albus subconsciously seeks counsel from his younger brother Aberforth after Gellert's vial is returned to him.





	Beneath the shattered dreams and lies

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies if anything seems out-of-character, I haven't written Harry Potter fanfiction in years, but I felt inspired.
> 
> Also, I mentioned in the tags, but I made Dumbledore the Transfiguration teacher he should be.

The night was brisk and the streets of Hogsmeade were quiet.  Most shops and pubs were preparing to close for the evening or they were already closed in preparation for the storm brewing.

The casual passerby would still see the candlelight flickering in the window of  Hog's Head Inn despite the late hour. Regulars knew the owner stayed up all hours. What they did not know is he did so most frequently when he suspected he would be entertaining an unlikely patron.

The lone figure stood near the bar with a broom in hand. His head remained lowered even as the fireplace shed a green hue throughout the dark, dank room. Only one person had a direct route into the pub at the late hour.

“Hello, Brother.”

“Albus,” said Aberforth Dumbledore, his voice steely. “Tea?”

“I think Firewhiskey will do, tonight.”

Aberforth was unable to contain his surprise, his eyebrows shooting up. He glanced at his older brother, scoffing at the sight of his gray, three-piece suit. No one ever entered the establishment other than his brother dressed like that.

“In all the years you’ve paid visit, you’ve not once accepted a man’s drink,” commented Aberforth, as he grabbed a pint glass. If he noticed Albus’ subtle flinch, he did not let on. “What’s on your mind, then? As if I couldn’t guess.”

Albus fixed him with a stern look. He shrugged off his overcoat and adjusted his suit.

“How’s business this month?” Albus replied, ignoring the question. Aberforth rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Drunks tend to stay that way,” Aberforth drawled. “I read in the paper about the French Ministry of Magic battle  —”

“You read the paper?” quipped Albus. Aberforth ignored him.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?” snapped Albus, drinking his pint. Aberforth fixed him with an unimpressed look.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the brilliant one? Things can’t go on how they are, Albus. I know for a fact the Ministry visited you.” Albus stared at him skeptically. “People lose sight of their volume once they have a few drinks in them.”

Albus remained silent. He certainly remembered the visit. The visit where Ministry employees suggested he and Gellert was close like brothers.  _ Brothers _ , he internally scoffed. It was an insult to even frame it in such a way.

“There’s nothing I can do,” Albus muttered.

“Right,” said Aberforth, cleaning the counter. The effort was for lack of anything else to do considering the rag he used was filthy and the counter was beyond saving. “I’ve heard that blood pacts are tricky that way.”

Albus’ head whipped up and he tightly gripped his drink. His sharp, piercing blue eyes met the similarly calculating, cerulean gaze of his younger brother.

“How did you —?”

“You two,” scoffed Aberforth, “thought you were so damn slick. It never occurred to you that anyone had bloody eyes. You think I didn’t know about your rendezvous in the woods?”

Albus continued to stare at Aberforth, the former’s mind whirling.

“I don’t know what you —”

“Save it,  _ Brother _ ,” Aberforth said, sardonically. “I’m well aware of the acts of perversion you two engaged in. Meanwhile, they tried me for —”

“I wouldn’t finish that comparison if I were you,” said Albus, sharply. Aberforth’s gaze flickered to his brother’s slight movement toward where the latter’s wand was stowed. He shrugged.

“Anyway,” Aberforth continued. “It’s not like you made an Unbreakable Vow. Even you aren’t that dense. Just destroy the vial and be done with it.”

“It’s not that simple,” said Albus, tightly. Aberforth crossed his arms.

“No, it rarely is with you. You couldn’t see the obvious early on that he was dangerous. You couldn’t see that he didn’t give two shits about preserving the Wizarding race. You couldn’t see that you were being a selfish  _ prick _ for choosing him over Ariana —”

The glass shattered at the mention of their deceased sister. Aberforth mopped the counter, knowing he hit a nerve by mentioning Ariana. Albus pretended she never existed, but he would not let him forget what he caused.

“You’re wrong,” said Albus, his voice shaking. “There isn’t a day that I don’t think about Ariana and regret not being able to protect her from him … from myself.”

“I told you not to read my bloody mind.”

“The mind isn’t a — nevermind,” sighed Albus. “I didn’t come here to rehash the past.”

“Then why did you come tonight, Albus?” Aberforth said, throwing down the rag.

“You’re my brother —”

“We haven’t been brothers for a long time,” Aberforth snarled. “Not since you let him loose on our family. Ariana deserved better than that. No amount of guilt can change my mind on that.”

“I’m not —”

“And if you came to hear me say that you don’t have to confront your  _ boyfriend _ ,” Aberforth spat, “you also came to the wrong place.”

Albus stood up quickly, the action upending his barstool. He withdrew his wand and Aberforth threw his head back and laughed.

“You’re pathetic, Albus,” he said. “You’ve spent your entire life caring about how others see you. At least have the sack to own it.”

Albus cringed.

“You know I can’t just —”

“You could do a lot more if you tried, but you won’t because it’ll ruin the image that you’ve convinced yourself and others is real.”

“No one gives a shit, Albus,” he continued. “Rest assured, history books will gloss over your confrontation as ‘two conflicted brothers.’ There won’t be a trial, a hunt or whatever the hell it is that you’re afraid of.”

Albus was silent, his heart beating in his ears. He knew his brother was right — people would only care that he defeated Gellert and ended the threat to their world. Sure, there would be some whispers, but they would only be that. No one would dare say it aloud.

It was still 1927.

“Just go, Albus,” said Aberforth wearily. “It’s long past closing.”

Albus grabbed his coat wordlessly and put it on, but not before sliding a fistful of Galleons across the bar.

“It’s not that —” Albus just shook his head at his brother. He walked to the fireplace that he arrived through and grabbed some Floo Powder as he stepped inside.

“Hogwarts School, Transfiguration office,” he said, before being engulfed in green flames.

The pub fell silent. The sound of a broom collecting stray ashes and broken glass punctuated the otherwise silent night.

Moments later, as the lights from the candles were extinguished, there was no trace of an earlier confrontation.   
  



End file.
